While nearly 700,000 aspiring college students in South Korea sat for the grueling university-entrance exam in November, Yu Hwa Young spent the day riding roller coasters and snapping pictures at Everland, an amusement park here.

"Everyone was jealous," said the 19-year-old recent graduate of Posung High School.

Yu skipped the test because he had already been admitted to an international-studies program at Sogang University, based on his grades, a near-perfect score ...

[T]he Ministry of Education acknowledges that students are under intense pressure. “We recognize that Korea SAT is a heavy burden on our students,” said a spokesman for the ministry, “so our ministry has researched CSAT reformation since last year. This reformation is to reduce the weight of CSAT as an element of the university admission process.”

Among the reforms being considered is to give students who think they did badly a chance to re-sit the exam two weeks later. Another possibility is to offer an easier, lower level option in subjects such Korean and English along with a higher option, something already provided for in mathematics. The changes could come into effect by 2013, according to the ministry.